Legend, 2015.
Directed by Brian Helgeland.
Starring Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, David Thewlis, Tara Fitzgerald.
SYNOPSIS:
Identical twins Ronnie and Reggie Kray terrorise London’s East End in the 1960’s.
Legend is the 2015 biopic of the notorious twin gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray, and not the 1980s Tom Cruise and a big red demon fantasy epic of the same name. In truth, you probably couldn’t find two films much more different: Ridley Scott’s lush, forested, dark dream on one hand, and Brian Helgeland’s hyperactive retelling of the Krays’ rise and fall on the other. I suppose if you wanted to make any other comparison between the two, it might involve the ‘nature of evil’, but at that point, I’d probably advise myself to stop, as, aside from the title and some colourful scares, the two films will remain forever strangers.
So, to the Legend in question. I felt like this was a solid addition to the Krays’ mythos ten years ago, and I still feel the same. Helgeland does a good job of drawing together the best-known tales surrounding the cockney criminals’ activities, including police detactive ‘nipper’ Reid (Christopher Eccleston) resolutely tracking the twin’s shady goings on, such as the turf wars with South London’s the Richardson gang, which led to Ronnie casually murdering one of their associates, George Cornell, in the Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel.
But even more than that crime, the brutal slaying of Jack ‘the Hat’ McVitie by Reggie is the event that truly brought down the twins’ criminal empire. The level of violence in the film will undoubtedly put some off, and the 18 rating is certainly well justified. The 1960s East End criminal underworld was a horrifying place for those touched by it, and the film doesn’t shy away from that aspect at all. However, it also shows off the glamour and the excitement of making a lot of money and trying to escape personal demons by dressing sharp and living large.
Before those two gruesome killings, the film does a good job of showing the complex psychology at work in Ronnie and Reggie’s characters. A fascinating performance from Tom Hardy as both twins propels the film forward, and even when his voice and accent are going all over the place, you can’t help but watch and listen. He certainly holds the attention.
The crux of the film is the romance between Reggie and Frances Shea (Emily Browning, who also narrates the interlinking voiceover), and Ronnie’s battles with paranoid schizophrenia. The result is a movie that veers wildly between sentimental whimsy and ultra-violent gangsterism without holding much back. And for that reason, it is exceedingly entertaining.
While it is by no means a deadly serious film, where it falters a little is when real tragedy strikes, and the tone is not quite right. But for most of the film, the almost cartoonish goings on of the twins manage to unleash an amphetamine-charged dark comedy horror across the venues of East London.
As with anything related to the Krays, there has been much discussion about how accurate the picture presented in Legend really is. Some dispute the film’s showing Reggie as ‘the sane one’ and Ronnie as the more overtly affected by mental illness. Also, some accounts have it that both brothers were bisexual, rather than Reggie being straight and Ronnie being homosexual. In any case, the movie offers a stylish glimpse into a version of the twins’ world, one that showcases Hardy’s ability to steer a film with real star power throughout.
Studio Canal’s 4K restoration Blu-ray is a perfect celebration of the film’s 10th birthday. Featuring a swathe of extras including an insightful audio commentary with director Brian Helgeland, interviews with cast and crew, and most entertainingly in my view, an interactive map of East London, which pinpoints the real-life locations seen in the film, including the Krays’ favourite café, E Pellicci’s in Bethnal Green.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Robert W Monk
